WESTMINSTER LBC SHELVES PAY-OFFS

Westminster LBC has decided against handing out nearly£700,000 in compensation to prominent figures implicated in ...

Westminster LBC has decided against handing out nearly£700,000 in compensation to prominent figures implicated in the 'homes for votes' gerrymandering scandel, the Guardian reports (p13).

A secret meeting of the council on Wednesday ruled that in all but one case they believed the figures involved were 'not in any way culpable' for the scandal which led to surcharges of£27 million against former leader Dame Shirley Porter and her deputy David Weeks.

The councillors decided there was legal doubt about the authority's ability to grant the money and that they could not go ahead after deputy prime minister John Prescott refused to sanction the council spending the money on compensation.

The government has rejected Coventry City Council’s plans to reduce air pollution, telling it instead to introduce the most stringent type of clean air zone in its city centre which would impose charges on all polluting vehicles.

An LGC subscription...

...gives you access to LGCplus.com, containing an unparalleled database of tens of thousands of articles offering the news, data, guidance and case studies that councils need to withstand cuts and improve services